Rosa off to record start for North
By Justin Feil, Assistant Sports Editor
The Briarwood Invitational in Philadelphia is fast becoming Joe Rosa’s eye-opening meet.
Last year, as a freshman, Rosa surprised his West Windsor-Plainsboro North coach Brian Gould by finishing the hilly Belmont Plateau course in 16 minutes, 24 seconds for seventh place.
”It’s unbelievable as a freshman,” Gould said. “It was the first 5k he’d ever run. He’d never run a 5k before. He hadn’t done road races. He had the two-mile race at our school and then he ran 16:24. What he did last year, until this past weekend, was the most remarkable thing he’d done.”
Then came Saturday’s 2008 Briarwood Invitational. Rosa had looked sharp in his first meet of the season, winning the sophomore race at the Knight Invitational in a meet record time of 9:38 for two miles. At Briarwood, he was even more impressive, though he wasn’t looking for a record.
”This year, I just felt like I could break 16 (minutes),” Rosa said. “I didn’t have a time goal. I just wanted to win the race. I’m happy with how I ran.”
Not only did Rosa win the race, but he also set a new course record with his finish time of 15:33 for the 5k course. His mark was nine seconds better than Cardinal O’Hara’s Steve Hallinan ran in 2003. Hallinan went on to run at American University.
”I was really surprised,” Rosa said. “I didn’t feel like I ran that fast. I was tired, but didn’t feel like I was running that fast.”
Rosa’s first-place finish gave the Knight boys a critical one point in the team scoring. It helped nationally ranked WW-P North celebrate a promising one-point win, 68-69, over the defending Pennsylvania state champions.
”They’re a really good team,” Rosa said. “Steve Ellwood beat a North Penn kid by .3 seconds at the line. That was the difference. Ryan Sleeper really stepped up and Jon Squeri is always consistent. Beating that team, even without Tyler (Corkedale), that’s given us a lot of confidence.”
Joe Rosa is the Princeton Packet Athlete of the Week.
”I can’t say I expected him to run that,” Gould said. “I still kind of can’t believe he did it. With Joe, you expect him to go out and run as hard as he can. I asked him what his goal was. He said, matter of factly, my goal is to win the race. It happened to be a really good field. They took it out hard and kept an honest pace.
”I saw him during the race and the expression on his face, it looked like he was out for a run by himself. He’s in really good shape. He’s been out doing all the work. It was a nice day and fortunately, he felt good.”
The record was a bonus, one that he originally didn’t think he set because Gould had heard the course record was 15:32. It tempered Rosa’s original reaction when he crossed the finish line.
”Of course, I was kind of disappointed because I thought I missed it by a second,” Rosa said. “I was really happy with the time. If it compares to Holmdel, I feel OK.
”I think more of the Holmdel record, that’s really the only record I’m chasing after. In most other races, I’m just looking to win the race or get a certain place.”
Other than the Manhattan Invitational and Mercer County Championships, Rosa’s biggest races this season will come at Holmdel Park where the Knights will try to defend their Group III state title and contend for a Meet of Champions crown. Rosa is feeling better prepared for the long haul in his second season of high school cross country.
”Just the summer training I did, I’ve done so much more,” he said. “I think I did 300 more miles this summer than last year. The Knights Invitational, starting off with the course record and then running a really fast time at Briarwood, it’s given me a lot of confidence going into the next meet and the Meet of Champions and the other meets down the road.”
For Joe Rosa, early success at Briarwood helped foreshadow a big freshman season. He is hoping the same holds true after a record-setting run at Belmont Plateau set a high standard for his season and for the winning Knights team.
”I think the experience that he’s gained over the past year had a lot to do with that time,” Gould said. “He’s a very humble kid. That’s what allows him to be successful. He’s doing all the right things.”
Added Rosa: “I think I’m relied on to be in the front. As much as they rely on me to be in the front, I rely on the pack to be strong. Everyone on our team can depend on each other. I think that’s going to carry us a long way.”